State officials working overtime to keep up with concealed-carry permits

Kansans are still applying for concealed-carry permits in large numbers, and state officials are just managing to keep up with them, the Kansas Attorney General's office reported Thursday.

The attorney general's office received 3,462 applications for concealed-carry permits in April, which was down from the previous month after three consecutive record-breaking months in Kansas. The state received 4,072 applications in March, the most in any one month since the state started issuing permits six years ago. That was more than the 3,573 counted in February and the 3,167 applications that set a record in January.

A year before, the state processed 1,442 applications in the month of April. In the last four months, 14,274 Kansans filed new concealed-carry applications. There are now 55,988 active concealed-carry licensees in Kansas.

The attorney general's office reported Thursday that, since last fall, it has hired and reassigned staff to effectively double the number of people working on concealed-carry applications. So far, Thursday's report said, all of the completed applications are being processed within the 90 days required by law. The attorney general has said a request for authority to hire three more licensing personnel is still being considered by the Legislature.